Smallest Coin 'Zecchino' Gold Proof

€60.00

Quantity

A numismatic coin in gold depicting the zecchino issued as part of the CBM's Smallest Gold Coin Programme 2014. The obverse of the coin shows the emblem of Malta with the year of issue 2014. The reverse depicts a zecchino issued by Phillippe Villiers de l'Isle Adam, the first Grand Master to rule over Malta. The zecchino was a gold coin first minted in Venice in 1284 and derived its name from the Venetian mint which was known as the 'zecca'. The coin, which weighed 3.5 grams, was of almost pure gold content. For more than 500 years the design of the coin remained unchanged. It was therefore considered a stable currency and was widely accepted as a means of payment. Consequently, many countries, especially those in the Mediterranean, adopted and issued gold coins similar to the Venetian zecchino. The coin was introduced and minted in Malta by the Order of St John. It normally depicted, on one side an image of St John, the patron saint of the Order, handing a banner to the kneeling Grand Master; on the other side it depicted the figure of Christ holding the Gospel. Diameter 11.00mm; Gross weight 0.50gr; Finesse 0.999 Actual sizes of coins may vary from pictures